Virtual Event, Nov. 6, 12-1 pm ET: How Faith Communities Drive Local Civic Engagement and Strengthen Democracy

In partnership with Union Theological Seminary’s TIDEL program and Center for Civic Engagement and Social Justice, innoFaith is pleased to offer this virtual conversation on innovations in civic engagement.

How Faith Communities Drive Local Civic Engagement and Strengthen Democracy

Thurs, Nov 6 12-1 pm ET

At a time of divisive national politics, work to sustain democracy at the local level has never been more important. As deeply local institutions and places where people of diverse socio-economic and political backgrounds can find common connection, faith communities play a significant role in this effort. They are important hubs for learning, connection, dialogue, and engagement. Join us to learn from some innovative leaders offering new visions of civic engagement and the unique opportunity that faith communities have to help drive civic participation and strengthen democracy in their communities.

With:

-Dr. Gabby Cudjoe-Wilkes, Director, Technology, Innovation, and Digital Engagement Lab (TIDEL), Union Theological Seminary

-Chris Crawford, Senior Director of Civic Strategies, Interfaith America

-Talya Gillman, Program Director, Citizen University

-Danielle Goldstone, Founder/Director, innoFaith (Moderator)

Panelists:

Dr. Gabby Cudjoe Wilkes is the Director of The Technology Innovation & Digital Engagement Lab (TIDEL) Fellowship, housed at Union Theological Seminary. Dr. Gabby is a pastor, leader, innovation strategist and author. Her work has been featured in Forbes, Essence & The New York Times. She holds a doctorate from Duke University, a Masters of Divinity from Yale University, a Masters of Arts from NYU and a Bachelors of Arts from Hampton University. She is the President of the Yale Divinity School Alumni Board and a member of the Morehouse College MLK Board of Preachers. Dr. Gabby is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated and is committed to the work of love and justice. She is the author of the best-selling text, Psalms for Black Lives.

Chris Crawford is the Senior Director of Civic Strategies at Interfaith America. He previously served as a policy strategist at Protect Democracy, where he led staffing for The National Task Force on Election Crises and partnered with Interfaith America in developing the Faith in Elections Playbook during the 2024 election. He previously worked as a senior program associate at Democracy Fund, where he managed a portfolio of faith-based initiatives focused on promoting pluralism in the United States. Chris began his career at Susan B. Anthony List (Now Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America), the nation’s largest pro-life political organization. He has a bachelor’s degree in political science from The George Washington University and a master’s degree in nonprofit administration from The University of Notre Dame. In addition to his work at Interfaith America, Chris is a founding board member of The Center for Christianity and Public Life and serves on advisory committees for A More Perfect Union: The Jewish Partnership for Democracy, The Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University, and served on the thought leaders advisory committee for Interfaith America’s “Vote is Sacred” program. Chris’s writing and speaking has been featured on The Christian Broadcasting Network, America Magazine, Our Sunday Visitor, and a variety of other secular and religious outlets

Talya Gillman, Program Director at Citizen University (CU), develops resources and experiences that spark and support powerful citizenship, rooted in the CU tenet that “we’re all better off when we’re all better off.” Many experiences and relationships have fueled her commitment to building eco-systems of dignity, equity and belonging: designing and leading experiential learning initiatives with organizations including Jewish Family Service, University of Washington, and Repair the World; receiving a Covenant Foundation Pomegranate Prize for emerging Jewish educators; completing an M.A. in Transformational Leadership through Seattle University; organizing with anti-racist and immigrant justice community networks in Seattle; and serving as an AJWS World Partners Fellow doing harm reduction work with Sankalp Rehabilitation Trust in Mumbai.

Danielle Goldstone is Founder and Director of innoFaith, a multi-faith network and platform for social innovation that supports leaders in the faith sector to innovate and collaborate for social change. She is also a social impact consultant with over 25 years of experience in the global social change and social innovation fields. As Senior Advisor to Ashoka, the world's largest network of leading social entrepreneurs, she helps select new Ashoka Fellows around the world. She was the founding director of Ashoka’s global Empathy Initiative and the associated Changemaker Schools network, which grew to over 25 countries on five continents. Danielle also served as Ashoka's Legal Director, helped launch Ashoka in East Africa and the Middle East/North Africa region, and served as interim representative for Ashoka in francophone West Africa. She serves as Chair of the Board of the Interfaith Council of Metropolitan Washington. Danielle has a B.A. in economics and international relations from Stanford University, and a Juris Doctor, Master of Theological Studies, and Graduate Certificate in Human Rights from Emory University, where she was Editor in Chief of the Emory International Law Review. She is an attorney, admitted to the New York Bar.